The Independent National Electoral Commission has intensified efforts to encourage more persons with disabilities to take part in the 2027 general elections.
The electoral body recently held discussions with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and other representatives of disability groups as part of its voter sensitisation and mobilisation programme.
The meeting is aimed at improving access to electoral information and ensuring that eligible voters living with disabilities are not left out of the electoral process.
Speaking on the initiative, the Acting Chairman of INEC, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, who represented the Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, said the engagement was important as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.
Gumus said, “The Commission is committed to building an electoral process that is inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens.”
She said the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in elections are supported by existing laws and policies, including Section 54 of the Electoral Act 2026, the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and INEC’s framework on disability inclusion.
The INEC acting chairman further called for voter education methods that would better address the specific needs of persons with disabilities.
She said, “We must explore innovative approaches to voter education, including disability-specific communication channels, community-based organisations, radio, social media and other assistive formats.”
INEC said records compiled before the deployment of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System showed that 137,487 persons with disabilities were captured in its data.
The breakdown showed 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 with hearing impairment, 30,561 persons with albinism, 19,430 people with physical impairments and 54,941 under other disability categories.
Gumus urged disability organisations to play a leading role in educating their members about the electoral process, particularly on registration, PVC collection, voting procedures and available accessibility support.
She said, “I urge JONAPWD and the Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to take ownership of this sensitisation process and ensure that members within your respective clusters receive timely and accurate information.”
According to her, the engagement would also provide an avenue for stakeholders to identify challenges preventing persons with disabilities from participating in elections and develop workable solutions.
She said, “This engagement provides an opportunity to identify barriers to participation, share successful strategies and agree on practical actions that can be implemented before, during and after the elections.”
The Director of Gender and Inclusivity, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, disclosed that INEC had already introduced several measures to make voting easier for persons with disabilities.
The measures include Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, the EC30 PWD form and sign-language interpretation during collation activities.
The commission said it would continue working with disability groups to improve voter awareness and remove barriers that could hinder the participation of persons with disabilities in the 2027 elections.